care package
by fahRENheit2006
Summary: The Normandy crew is supposed to be on shore leave. Except a nosey Comms Specialist came back early to find Commander Annelise Shepard. All alone. Using her console at the galaxy map. Such an insult cannot be left unnoticed. But Shepard does have a very good reason for touching Sam's stuff. Cover art by Herssian.


_From forevergunbitch on Tumblr: "If you are open to doing those drabbles and would like a challenge, could you do one for Shaynor with 39, 64 and 67 combined? If so that would be fantastic! Your writing is phenomenal and also Queens Gambit? Favorite fic."_

* * *

Brown eyes narrowed from across the room. The woman tilted her head before bringing up her wrist. An orange holo interface glowed to life.

A second later, Commander Annelise Shepard heard a quiet, suspicious voice in her ear piece.

["What are you so happy about?"]

"What do you mean?" Annelise innocently replied under her breath, her fingers still swiping over the Normandy SR2 galaxy map console. Samantha Traynor's console. The small curl at Shepard's mouth pulled wider.

["I know you're up to something."] Samantha hissed into her wrist as she stayed hidden at the Normandy bow docking entrance. The CIC bridge was nearly empty otherwise; only 2 other tech specialists were present, engrossed in their holo screens. The rest of the Normandy crew was away on shore leave at the Citadel.

And Comms Specialist Traynor was supposed to be off with them.

Or so Shepard had instructed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Annelise mumbled. "I'm just… in my cabin. Building a model. How's the Wards shopping going? You find the—?" Mid-swipe, Shepard jerked her head up. Her right hand reached up to her ear piece.

"Hang on. How did you know I looked happy?"

Stifling an awkward throat-clear, Sam flattened her body against the cockpit escape hatch.

_Shit._

_Shit!_

_Well, Traynor?_

_Thinking… Thinking…_

"Just a lucky guess. I assumed." Samantha lied, her voice low. She didn't dare venture another peek around the corner.

"Because happiness is my default state," came the skeptical reply.

Sam smothered a laugh with her hand. _At least she's self-aware. _"Is it not? ...And this **is** a trick question, by the way. With a very correct answer." Sam started to slide over to the open bow doors.

_Keeeeep talking so I can pretend I'm not the worst spy in the galaxy._

_Really thought this through, huh Traynor?_

_Oh shut up._

Annelise said, "Either you think very highly of yourself… or you're spying on me. And the latter couldn't **possibly** be true because you're off with your BFF Allers." The phonetic "bee-eff-eff" rolled off the woman's tongue.

"Well there's your answer, darling. It's **obviously** the former because I think the world of myself." Voice husky, Sam cornered over to the exterior bulkhead door. She was one biometric scan away from freedom.

"Uh huh." A long pause. "Can you ask Diana something for me? Just a quick question."

_Shit!_

"Oh she's… uh… in the dressing room. I'd be happy to relay it."

_Christ you're bad at this._

"Oh just grab her for a sec," Shepard pressed.

_Does her voice sound louder than before?_

The biometric lock was taking an agonizingly long time to sweep a grid pattern over Sam's form. Before she could respond (or dart through the opening bulkhead door), a slanted face came peeking around the corner, green eyes narrowed, red hair loosely framing a splash of freckles. "**Really,** Samantha? Did you forget something or could you not go a couple hours away from work?"

Sighing in defeat, Sam slouched her way back to Shepard. She crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air. "I certainly won't be accepting criticism for working too much from the likes of **you, **dearest. Pot and kettle and all that."

Annelise crossed her arms in response and both women stood there, eyeing each other. Shepard's glare was positively withering, forcing Sam to crumble under the pressure.

"...Don't look at me like that," Sam pouted as she pushed a hand at Shepard's shoulder. "You caught me, all right?"

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose. "I really need to talk to Allers about her Traynor-sitting. I paid her 5000 credits for a girls' day out. She had **one** job."

"You bribed my friend to spend time with me? ...And she didn't even give me a cut? Oh, Diana and I are going to have a **talk** later." Sam put her hands on her hips and reassembled the righteous indignation that had brought her here in the first place. "So? Out with it then! Why were you trying to get rid of me? And why were you at my console?"

"Can't I have my secrets?"

"Absolutely not. Unless you want my gorgeous brain concocting all sorts of scenarios that will lead to some very confusing arguments for you," Sam replied haughtily. "It would be more efficient just to tell me."

Sighing, Annelise reached over and took Sam's wrist and led her to the galaxy map. A small blue marker blinked over the Citadel. Her fingers typed in a couple of commands to show a reverse overlay of a travel trajectory, bouncing across the lower quadrant of the galaxy.

The location of origin: Horizon.

"I was tracking a delivery," Annelise said simply.

"A delivery," Sam repeated with skepticism.

"That's right."

"A delivery. That you didn't want me to know about. From Horizon. Where I'm from."

"That's right."

_More betrayal! _

_What are we up to?_

_Shepard, Allers, Shepard again, maybe Mum, maybe Dad, maybe both, we'll say Shepard again for good measure..._

_I am going to send out so many strongly-worded vid-mails._

_Really take 'em to task, Traynor._

"Who was it? Mum? Dad? Both of them working in concert?" Drumming her fingers on the console, Sam felt her blood pressure spike.

Shepard sighed again before checking her Omni-tool. "It's due to be delivered to my apartment on the Citadel this afternoon. Since you're not **doing anything** anymore, would you like to come along and find out?"

"Absolutely!" Sam chirped. "I can ask you all sorts of questions on the way there!"

Taking Sam's hand, Annelise escorted Samantha to the (_aforementioned_) bulkhead doors. The woman's shoulders slumped, but there was still a playful twinkle in her eye. "This is exactly what I was trying to avoid, you understand?"

Sam trotted along beside her, grinning ear to ear. "Understood and ignored!"

* * *

A (_rather long_) taxi ride later, the two women disembarked at a familiar boarding area just outside the Silversun Strip. Samantha held on to Shepard's bicep, her series of questions still not exhausted during the commute. "—ow long have you been talking to my family behind my back? Is there anyone else back there you still talk to? Do you still keep in contact with that curmudgeon of a mechanic, Gavin? You know he's still salty about the Alliance. Talks shit every time I come home—"

Shepard sighed again and picked up the pace. "Like I said thirty times before: you'll find out when we get there!"

"But I want to know nowwww," Sam whined, struggling to keep up with Annelise, her hand barely holding on.

Spinning on her heel, Annelise got right up in Sam's face (causing the Comms Specialist to almost run into the marine). Her breath hot on Sam's chin, Shepard leaned in really close. "Are you sure you want me to tell you?" Annelise asked, voice husky and low.

Several passersby stopped to stare, one even taking out an Omni-tool to start recording.

It had the desired effect; Samantha shrank away slightly, flustered. Her eyes kept looking at green eyes, then down to pink lips, then back up again. She nodded, chewing her lip.

Those lips curled in a mischievous grin. "...Too bad. You'll find out in a minute."

Sam could barely take the time to scowl as a hand clasped her wrist and yanked her forward. The two women made their way down a side alley near a section of residences. The corner apartment lock glowed in response to Shepard's Omni-tool scan, the door sliding open a moment later.

Holo lights triggered on a motion center flared to life in the kitchen and living room, illuminating a large crate in the center of the floor. The buckled, one meter by one meter metal crate did have some small wear and tear, mostly scuff marks around the rounded corners. A holo receipt spun on its axis just above the crate, a testament to a successful delivery.

["Just checking to see that my contact came through.  
Consider this one a freebie for all your hard work, Allison Gunn.  
\- Kasumi Goto, Purveyor of Antiquities and Other Valuable Merchandise, Esquire

P.S. I watered your plants. And broke in the hot tub. You might want to restock the liquor cabinet, though. "]

_Allison Gunn… Allison Gunn… Why does that sound familiar?_

"Oh. **Kasumi**. I should have known." Sam didn't dislike the hooded thief per se, but Kasumi took too much delight in jump scares via her tactical cloaking system. And Sam, easily scared prey that she was, had become a frequent target.

Crouching down, Annelise waved her Omni-tool over the package to engage the lock. She glanced up at Sam with a smile and tapped a freckled nose with her other hand. "If you need something smuggled, she's the best. Don't tell the Alliance I went under the table for this. I'm supposed to set an example."

"Is this... Commander Bloody Shepard? Flouting proper channels and protocols to smuggle her girlfriend some goodies from home?" Samantha put some incredulous air into her voice, her smile wide. "When did you become such a softie?"

"Oh, about ten showers ago," Annelise replied without looking up, her eyes crinkling around the edges.

"**Surely** you've had more than—oh. **Oh!** ...I see what you did there," Sam teased with a nudge of her hip to a kneeling Shepard's shoulder.

"Figured you might."

The large metal buckles flapped open with a satisfying pop, the container hissing as compressed air escaped. Whatever it was had been carefully pressured sealed during shipping to prevent spoilage or contents from shifting.

Instead of reaching out to open the crate, Annelise stood back up. She waved her hand over it with a flourish. "For you, milady. Just as a disclaimer: this **does** ruin the scavenger hunt I had planned."

"There was going to be a scavenger hunt?" Sam asked weakly, guilt bubbling to the surface.

_I love scavenger hunts. Oh I hope there are puzzles. And riddles!_

_Not anymore, you git. You ruined it._

_Oh bollocks!_

"With puzzles and riddles," Annelise confirmed. She opened her Omni-tool to show a scrolling list of haikus and rhymes following a vague map around the apartment.

_Oh bollocks._

Sam was forlorn. "Bollocks, that looks brilliant."

Annelise tilted her head with a sympathetic smile. She reached out and rubbed Sam's shoulders. "Next time, Traynor."

"I didn't ruin it?"

"Never," Annelise stated, leaning in for a small kiss. "You'll just have to savor the suspense for next time."

"But I hate savoring suspense."

"I know! And that's why it's not ruined, because now I get to hold that over you and surprise you when you least expect it."

"You're a monster. A gorgeous monster, but a monster nonetheless."

"Well, at least I'm gorgeous." Annelise stretched out a foot to toe at the cracked lid, which bounced lightly. "Shall we?"

_We shall._

Samantha leaned down and pulled the lid open. It was a smorgasbord of goodies. And a wave of delicious smells that prickled the back of Sam's mind with a flurry of nostalgic memories.

A set of hard plastic containers were the source of the coolant leak, (mostly) her mum's home cooking still flash-frozen. There were scrawls of labels on each one in her mother's familiar penmanship.

"Auntie Amrita's Famous Biryani (recipe included)"

"Samosas & Naan from Maharajah's"

"Papri Chaat & Pakora"

"Geoffrey's Famous Attempt at Rice Pudding" was written in a bolder script.

And not one but two containers were marked "Saag Paneer (no curry)."

_Oh God how I've missed this._

She popped one of the saag paneer containers and just inhaled the rich, bitter smell. Unfortunately, the cubes of paneer were frozen in a sea of green sauce. She stacked the containers and motioned for Shepard to help with getting them in the fridge.

Hands now free, Sam pointed a finger at Shepard then back at the crate. "Did you know what treasures were in here?"

"Didn't have a clue," Annelise admitted as she kicked the refrigerator door closed with her heel. "Just messaged your family with EDI's help and asked them what they wanted to send and what sort of container they'd need. 'One with a cooler' was all I had to go by. Kasumi handled the rest."

"So this is as big a mystery for me as it is to you."

"Yup. I was hoping to find out before you, though. Tailor my scavenger hunt accordingly." She shook her head. "Lost to the annals of my Omni-tool now, I'm afraid," Annelise said, her tone wistful.

_Hmph._

A long, narrow box housed within the flash-freeze compartment hit Sam with a bold fragrance she would know anywhere. Before the wide flap was opened, she was chanting "Yes yes yes yesssss" under her breath. A long row of tea bags lined the box, local and exotic blends of the Terminus's most popular flavors.

Red hair appearing in Sam's periphery, Annelise cooed at her elbow, "Ooooo!" She reached a hand down to examine a bag, which Sam slapped away before making a hissing noise through the back of her teeth.

Shepard held her hands out in surrender and took a few safe steps back. "...**Jesus.** Okay. Nevermind there, slugger." She settled into a parade rest position and continued watching from a distance.

"You brought this on yourself. You know how I feel about my tea," Sam said, clutching the box to her chest for emphasis. A corner edge dug into her boob from hugging too hard.

Rolling her eyes, Annelise favored Sam with a withering glare. She sighed loudly before puffing air out of the corner of her mouth, causing her bangs to bounce.

The last cooler item was a three-pack of yellow gel. Lemon curd. _Oh mum, you're the best. _Sam shot a glare up at Annelise.

Hands fanning out in preemptive surrender, Shepard shook her head. "Trust me, I know better than to mess with **that**."

"Good girl."

Moving away from the perishable goods to the other side, Samantha found a small flat box with a familiar checkerboard pattern on top. Inside was a magnetic chess set, the white pieces so badly scuffed from use they were nearly as dark as the black set. It was the training set she and Dad has used when she was a kid. Small and portable and easy to carry on camping trips or long shuttle rides. It also included a holo pad set up for one-man matches against a VI when a ready partner wasn't available.

_Not quite as lovely as the rose quartz and hematite one in my Earth apartment, but it'll do._

This she did offer up to Annelise, who accepted it curiously. The metal pieces rolled around in the box with a satisfying clatter, bringing back memories of junior high road trips to tournaments. Shepard engaged the VI holo pad and watched the pieces quickly assemble in position with magnetic snapping sounds. A computer-only match began, pawns taking turns advancing.

"This looks like it's seen some shit," Annelise remarked, continuing to watch the black and white pieces encroach on each other's territory. Taken pieces slid their way around the surface to deposit themselves back in the box. A white pawn bumped into Shepard's thumb a few times, trying to get back into the box.

Samantha smiled fondly, both at the gift and at Annelise. "You have no idea."

"Do you want me to put this away in the bedroom?"

"Absolutely," Sam agreed before changing her mind. "Actually, how about the dresser? I'd like to take a look at it."

Nodding, Annelise trooped away up the extended stairwell to the upper floor. She disappeared into the bedroom, still watching the chess board play itself to completion.

Sam unwrapped the next gift, softly wrapped in a weather-proof cloth. Inside were a few sets of clothing, including one of her favorite sundresses and a few Horizon- and chess-themed t-shirts. She almost called out to Shepard to come back real quick and take this with her when a small square box fell out of the collection.

A small note was secured to the top, her mother's handwriting in looping curves.

["You should see this."]

Feeling around the small square box, she found a single hinge along one side and flipped it open. She stared at the beautiful ring set into a black pillow inside. Another small note, rolled in a tube, was attached on a delicate thread.

["Samantha,  
I think it's time you had this. Auntie Amrita wanted it that way, I'm just sending it over a little early. And it seems to me like you've found someone special here. Just saying: if you want to make it official, you'll need this.

We love you. Take care of yourself. And of her.  
\- Mum & Dad

P.S. If a thief is reading this, shame on you. My daughter's girlfriend (hopefully fiancee) is Commander Shepard and you are in serious trouble."]

All Sam could manage was a strangled noise deep in her throat. It was a gorgeous ring. A gold band had a large diamond set at the center flanked by eight smaller diamonds around the center in a flower pattern. Three more diamonds formed triangles on either side, completing the flower look.

"Hey Sam?" A voice called down, echoing from an unknown distance. "You done yet?"

She had to clear her throat a couple times before quickly stashing the box into her set of clothes. Sam called back, "Uh—ahem—uh yea? Did you need something?"

Instead of a response, she felt a ping to her Omni-tool. A small message appeared on the orange screen.

[Blasto: "Wash it and it isn't clean. Don't wash it and then it's clean. What am I?"]

_Water._

_...Perhaps hot tub water?_

_Only one way to find out._

* * *

For reference:

39) "What are you so happy about?"

64) "You should see this."

67) "Don't look at me like that."


End file.
